Electrical distributer for gas-engines.



No. 801,850. PATENTED OUT. 17, 1905.

L. S. GHADWIGK. ELECTRICAL DISTRIBUTER FOR GAS ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED KARJG, 1903.

' INVENTUH ii I. WW4

A TTOHNEY. 5.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ELECTRICAL DISTRIBUTER FOR GAS-ENGINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 17, 1905.

Application filed March 26, 1903. Serial No. 149,637.

To aZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEE S. CHADWIOK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ridley Park, county of Delaware, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Electrical Distributers for Gas- Engines, of which the following is afull, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to electrical distributers for gas-engines, and particularly to those distributers used in connection with explosiveengines for propelling automobiles, for making and breaking an electric circuit, and thus producing aspark for igniting the pressure fluid.

The invention is particularly applicable to that type of automobile in which a double engine, a double electric circuit, and one or more brushes bearing on the distributer are employed, one brush being included in one circuit and the other brush in the other circuit in case two brushes are employed. Distributers used for this purpose are usually made of a body of brass provided with a periphery of vulcanized fiber or other hard nonconduoting material interrupted by a segment of brass, the body of the distributer being connected with corresponding terminals of the two circuits. In operation the peripheral sections of brass andfiber tend to wear unevenly, causing the brushes to jump the brass contact and resulting in an irregular closing of the circuit and consequent uncertain operation of the engines.

The object of my invention is to remedy this defect of uneven wearing of the periphery.

The invention consists of an arrangement of brass segments separated by narrow strips of insulation and arranged in such a way as to make and break the circuit in the usual way while presenting to the brushes a practically continuous surface of brass, thereby insuring an even wearing of the periphery of the distributer.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a front view of the distributer, brushes and brush-holders, and supporting-frame. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the supporting-frame and brushes, the distributer being shown in section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

A is the frame supporting the brush-holders B.

a is a shaft rotating in suitable bearings a in the frame and connected with the engine in such a way as to be continuously rotated thereby.

b is the hub of the distributer, provided with a flange or ring 0, that gradually increases in thickness from the hub to the periphery.

c isa sleeve encircling the hub b and fitting against the ring 0.

(Z is a ring also encircling the hub and corresponding in contour with the ring 0 and abutting against the sleeve 0.

Between the rings 0 and (Z and surrounding the sleeve 0 are the following brass segments: The short contact-segment w, the long segment m, diametrically opposite thereto, and the short segments y and .2, interposed between the opposite ends of the long segments and the contact-segment These segments are separated from the bodyb 0 Z a of the distributer and from each other by insulating material 2', the strips of insulation between the segments being each of substantially less width than the width of the contact-face of the brush. A pin or rivet f extends through the rings 0 and d and contact-segment. The contact-segment m is therefore electrically connected with the body of the distributer and all the other segments insulated therefrom.

r is a collar surrounding hub b and abutting against the ring (Z. s is a set-screw extending through the hub Z) and engaging the shaft a, its head resting in an orifice in collar r, whereby the distributer is held on the shaft and the ring (Z held from lateral movement.

As the distributer revolves the contact 00 passes under the brushes successively and the current passes to the brushes through the distributer, pin f, and contact The strips of insulation between the segments can be made very narrow, so as to present a practically continuous periphery of brass and insure even wearing.

When a brush is moving across one of the insulated strips on either side of the contact a, it is for a moment simultaneously in contact with contact w and one of the adjacent segments 3 or 2; but no current can escape from the contact m through the brush and contacty or 2 to the other brush, as at this time the latter brush is in contact with the long segment on, which is insulated from both 1/ and The segments :11, and can be made of any desired length, so long as the maximum length of the contact 1/ or .2 is less than the distance between the brushes.

I am aware that it has been prosposed to make not only the contact-segment, but the remainder of the periphery, of conducting material separated from the contact-segment by strips of insulation wide enough to prevent the brushes in passing thereover from simultaneously contacting with the contactsegment and the other part of the periphery; but this construction is no improvement on the more usually employed distributer, consisting of a periphery of vulcanized fiber, interrupted by a segment of brass, for the necessary width of the insulated strips is such as to give rise to the uneven wear, resulting in the same troubles hereinbefore set forth.

Having now fully described my invention, what 1 claim, and desire to protect by Letters Patent, is

1. In an electrical distributer for gas-engines, in combination, a distributer-body having a periphery comprising a contact-segment of conducting material connected with one pole of the circuit, a segment of conducting material beyond the contact-segment and insulated from the circuit, anarrow strip of insulation between the segments of less width than the width of the contact-face of the brush, the distance between the contacting ends of the brushes being greater than the length of either of said segments, thereby presenting a substantially continuous periphery of conducting material, while excluding a path for the current from one brush to another while either brush is simultaneously in contact with the contact-segment and the adjacent segment.

2. In an electrical distributer for gas-engines, in combination, a distributer-body having a periphery comprising a contact-segment of conducting material connected with one pole of the circuit, a segment of conducting material on each side of the contact-segment and insulated from the circuit, a pair of brushes connected with the other pole of the circuit, and narrow strips of insulation between the segments of less width than the width of the contact-face of the brushes, the distance between the contacting ends of the brushes being greater than the length of either of said segments, thereby presenting a substantially continuous periphery of conducting material, while excluding a path for the current from one brush to another while either brush is simultaneously in contact with the contact-segment and an adjacent segment.

3. An electrical distributer for gas-engines having a periphery consisting of a contactsegment in electrical connection with one pole of a circuit, a long segment substantially diametrically opposite the contact-segment, and a shortsegment between each end of the long segment and the contact-segment, the last three segments being out of circuit and all of said segments bei n g insulated from each other, substantially as described.

4. In an electrical distributer for gas-engines, in combination, a distributer-body having a periphery comprising a contact-surface of conducting material connected with one pole of the circuit, segments of conducting material one on each side of the contact-segment and insulated from the circuit, a conducting-segment beyond the last-named segments, a pair of brushes connected with the other pole of the circuit, and narrow strips of insulation separating the segments, each strip being of less width than the width of the contact-face of the brush, the distance between the contacting ends of the brushes being greater than the length of either the contactsegment or the segment on either side of the contact-segment.

5. The combination with a pair of brushes bearing on the periphery of an electrical distributer for gas-engines, each connected with one pole of a circuit, of the distributor having a periphery consisting of a contact-segment connected with the other pole of the circuit, a segment on each side of the contactsegment of a length less than the distance between the contacting ends of the brushes and insulated from the contact-segment and the circuit, and a segment beyond the last-named segments and insulated from the other segments and the circuit, substantially as described.

6. An electrical distributer for gasengines, consisting of a body of conducting material adapted to be connected with one pole of a circuit and a periphery divided into a segment of conducting material electrically connected. with said body, a plurality of segments of conducting material insulated from the coinmutator-bod y, and narrow strips of insulation separating adjacent contact-segments, thereby presenting a substantially continuous pcriphery of conducting material while permitting the employment of a plurality of brushes having contact-faces wider than the insulation-strips.

7. An electrical distributor for gas-engines consisting of a body of conducting material adapted to be connected with one pole of a circuit, and a periphery divided into a plurality of segments of conducting material, insulating material interposed between adjacent segments and between said segments and the distributer-body, and a pin connecting the commutator-body with the contact-segment.

8. An electrical distributer tor gas-engines having a body consisting of the hub 7; having the rings 0 and (Z, a periphery consisting of segments (1;, 7 e, and m, all of conducting ma terial, insulating material between adjacent segments and between said segments and the hub and rings, and means permitting a current to pass from the distributer-body to the segment a only, substantially as described.

9. An electrical distributer 't'or gas-engines consisting of the hub Z), the rings 0 and (l, the contact-segment m, and segments and m confined between said rings, all of said seg- I TO ments being insulated from each other and from the hub and rings, a pin connectlng the rings and the contact-segment m, a collar en- I In testimony of which invention I have herecircling said hub and abutting against one of unto set my hand, at Chester, Pennsylvania, 10 on this 20th day of March, 1903.

n 1 w said rings, and means for securing the hub to LEE (JHADVVHJK a shaft and for preventing lateral movement of the rings and segments on the hub, substantially as described.

lVitnesses:

C. V. ROWE, E. A. HOWELL. 

